All-Star Robots From FIRST 2012

This weekend, high school robotics teams from across the world met in St. Louis for the FIRST Robotics Championship. The 402 teams formed alliances of three and deployed their creations in a robotic basketball game called Rebound Rumble. During the first stage of each match, the robots operated autonomously to shoot basketballs into hoops of varying heights. After 15 seconds, student drivers rushed to their laptops and joysticks to take control of their robots. A metal square-edged barrier at half-court made moving from one end to the other difficult, and teams scored extra points if they finished the match by balancing their bots on any of three bridges. The student engineering teams designed some brilliant and surprising solutions to the competition's challenges. (And check our blog for more stories from FIRST 2012.)

The Holy Cows, Team 1538

The Holy Cows, Team 1538

San Diego

The Holy Cows' robot is crowned with a basket of its own, and it's fancier than the knotted-rope kind on the basketball courts. The fluted receptacle is made from 6065 aluminum with smoked polycarbonate, and it increases the robot's chance of catching its own rebound, team member Wyatt Schulz says.

Daisy Diablo, as the team named its robot, also features a modified gearbox that allows drivers to quickly change gears. "The low gear gives us a lot of pushing power," backup driver and pit-crew member Ethan Chan says. Another key to success: the way the team interacts. The Holy Cows run their team like a business, complete with different job titles such as manager and mechanical director, Chan says.

Simbotics, Team 1114

Simbotics, Team 1114

St. Catharines, Ontario

Simbotics team members worked hard during the building phase so they'd have an easier time during the frenzy of the national competition. They designed a robot that aims automatically, so the driver can shoot the ball with a push of a button. Team member Jason Roper says the robot sinks its shots about 85 percent of the time. "We have 118 files in our program, and about two-thirds of them are autonomous," he says.

Roper and his teammates built on their programming experience from previous competitions to create their bot within the six weeks allotted. One of their biggest challenges was keeping the shooting speed consistent.

Simbotics won the Chairman's Award at championships this year. The honor is bestowed upon the team that "best represents a model for the other teams to emulate," according to FIRST.